The Gulf Tanker War: Iran and Iraq's Maritime Swordplay, by Nadia El-Sayed ElShazly. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998. xxi + 362 pages. Bibl. to p. 374. Index to p. 403. $75.
Nadia El-Sayed El-Shazly, a frequent contributor to English, Arabic, and Persian newspapers and journals has written a fine, comprehensive account of the Tanker War between Iran and Iraq.
Together with information gained from interviews and various key documents, the author's research includes statistical data from Lloyd's Register for Shipping that provide a complete record of the vessels damaged during this phase of the Iran-Iraq War (1980-89). The theoretical framework is based on the writings …